Why Indecency, Once Hot at FCC, Cooled

[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz Amy.Schatz@wsj.com]
Whatever happened to the government crackdown on bare breasts and bad words? This year, FCC officials planned to release a bundle of fines that would address a backlog of more than 50 outstanding complaints and provide broadcasters with clearer indecency guidelines. The guidelines were expected to get tougher: Chairman Kevin Martin, for example, has expressed support for assigning fines "per utterance" of a word deemed to be indecent, rather than once per show, no matter how many times it was uttered. And he supports the notion of holding performers as well as broadcasters accountable for violating decency standards and subjecting them both to fines. But Chairman Martin has not been able to put together a majority on the issue, two Commissioners generally favor more modest actions, and their unease at handing out big fines and expanding the FCC's definitions of unacceptable programming has slowed Martin's efforts. Broadcasters dread another round of fines, but some are eager for more guidance. Chairman Martin wants to provide that guidance, aides say, so that networks and local stations will know, for example, when it is acceptable to broadcast the f-word (as in the case of a movie like "Saving Private Ryan," which the FCC ruled earlier this year wasn't indecent because it was patriotic and portrayed an historic event) and when it isn't acceptable (as in the case of awards show speeches like that of U2 singer Bono at the Golden Globe Awards in 2003).
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